Clock



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 llll, a m W Nov. 8, 1932. J. F. LANGBEIN oLocx Filed April 14. 195o J. F. LANGBEIN Nov. 8K, 1932.

CLOCK Filed April 14. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented Nov. 8, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JACOB F. LANGBEIN, F HAMDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW HAVEN CLOCK COMPANY, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION CLOCK Application led April 14, 1930. Serial No. 443,977.

This invention relates to an improvement in clocks and particularly to clocks designed for use upon automobiles, though not so limited.

The main object of this invention is to produce, at a low cost for manufacture, a clock having simple and effective windingmeans constructed with particular reference to convenience of use.

With the above and other objects in view,

as will appear from the following, my invention consists in a clock characterized by its provision with a. manually-operable flexible pull-cord, or equivalent, connected to the driving-spring thereof for winding the same, and spring-means separate and distinct from the said pull-cord for returning the same to its normal position when released from manual restraint.

My invention further consists in a clock characterized as above and having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims.

25 In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a clock embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in rear elevation of the movement-unit thereof with a portion of the 30. case shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a view thereof in side elevation;

Fig. 4 is a view of the movement-unit in rear .elevation corresponding to Fig. 2, but with the winding-drum and return- 35i spring removed;

Fig. 5 is a broken detail sectional view through the winding-drum and associated parts taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a broken detail sectional view of 4:0 the driving-spring and associated parts taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 1.

In the particular embodiment of my invention herein chosen for illustration, I employ a winding-drum 10 formed in its pe- 45 riphery with a shallow groove V11 and mounted, with freedom for rotation, upon a stud 12 rearwardly projecting from a twopart rear movement-plate 13. Connected to the said drum by means of a transverse screw 14. and lying in the groove 11 thereof, 50 is a flexible pull-cord in the form of a ribbon 15 of spring-steel, having its free end extending outward through a bushing 16 in the lower side of the periphery of the clockcase 17 and provided at its eXtreme end with 55 a pull-button 18.

The winding-drum 10 is formed in its forward face with an annular recess 19 which receives a ratchet-wheel`20 provided with a forwardlysextending integral sleeve 21 ro- 00 tating upon the stud 12, before referred to, and serving to couple a gear-wheel 22 to the said ratchet-wheel- Engaging with the peripheral teeth of the ratchet-wheel 20 is a pawl 23 located in 65 the recess 19 in the winding-drum 10 and pivotally secured to the latter by means of a stud 24. A spring-wire click-spring 25 of usual form is mounted upon the drum 10 in the recess 19 thereof by means of a stud-26 70 and exerts a constant effort to maintain the pawl 23 in yielding engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 20.

The gear-wheel 22 forms part of a winding-train and meshes into a gear-wheel 27 75 mounted with freedom for rotation upon a stud 28 rearwardly projecting from the rear movement-plate 13 and, in turn, meshes into and drives a gear-wheel 29 staked upon the j rear end of a collect 30 extending through 80 and bearing in the rear movement-plate 13 and having staked to its forward lend a cupshaped spring-barrel 31.

The spring-barrel above referred to houses a spiral time-train driving-spring 32. the 85 outer end of which is coupled to the flange 33 thereof by means of a pin 34. The inner end of the spiral driving-spring 32 is coupled in the usual manner by means of a pin 34 to an arbor 35 having the main-wheel 36 of the 90 time-train staked upon its forward end. The rear end of the arbor 32 is reduced in diameter to form a trunnion 37 bearing in the collet 30 and similarly, the forward end of the said arbor is reduced in diameter to form a trunnion 38 bearing in the front movement-plate 39 of the cloclr.

The gear-wheel 29 above referred to and hence the spring-barrel 31 is prevented from turning clockwise (as viewed in Fig. 4) by means of a` pawl 2921 yieldingly heldin engagement with the teeth of the said wheel by means of a spring 29h.

The main-wheel 36 forms a feature of a time-train which may be of any approved construction, but which, as h-erein shown, also comprises a pinion 40 driven by the said main-wheel 36 and mounted upon an arbor 41 carrying a gear-wheel 42 meshing into a' 2o P inion 43 mounted upon the center arbor 44 of the clock. The said center arbor also carries a center-wheel 45 meshing with a pinion 46 upon an arbor 47 which carries a gearwheel 48.

The gear-wheel 48 meshes and drives a pinion 49 upon an arbor 50 carrying a gearwheel 51 meshing into a pinion 52 staked upon an escapement-wheel arbor 53 of the clock. The arbor 53 carries an escapementwheel 54 which imparts rocking movement, in the usual manner of escapement-mechanism, to an escapement-lever 55, in turn imparting oscillatory movement to a balancewheel 56.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that when adownward draft is exerted upon the pull-button 18 and hence upon the outer end of the liexible ribbon 15, the drum 10 will be turned counter-clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 2, and the latter, through the intermediary of the pawl 23, ratchet-wheel 2O and gearwheels 22, 27 and 29, will Aeffect the turning of the spring-barrel 31 and hence the winding of the driving-spring 32 of the timetrain.

For the purpose of reversely turning the drum 10 in order to return the pull-button 18 to its normal positionin-which it is shown by full lines in Fig. 1, after the same has been pulled downward to effect thewinding of the clock, as above described, I provide the said drum in its rear face with a concentric recess 57 in which is installed a spiral return-spring 58 having its outer end secured by means of a pin 59 to the wall of the said recess and having its inner end coupled by means of a pin 60 to the stationary stud 12 upon which the said drum rotates.

The said return-spring 58 is retained in the recess 57 of the drum 10 by means of a cover-plate 61 snapped into an annular groove 62formed in the said drum immediately to the rear of the recess 57 therein, and' retained in place by a pin 63 extending I wish to have it understood that I do not.

limit myself to the same, since obviously a cord, a cable, chain, etc., may be employed to replace the same. In the appended claims, I have for purposes of convenience employed the term pull-cord and wish to have it understood that by use of that term, I desire to include the ribbon 15 or an equivalentv flexible member.

It will be understood by'those skilledfin the art that my invention may assume varied physical forms without departing fromrmy inventive concept and I, therefore, do not limitV myself to the specific embodiment herein chosen for illustration, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim: Y f

1. In a clock, the combinationwith a timetrain and a driving spring therefor, of aA winding-member provided withmeans for connecting it with said driving spring to wind the same, said winding-member including a drum carryinga pull-cord whereby rotation may be imparted to it to wind said spring as said cord is unwound from-said drum, saiddrum provided with a recess housing a return-spring, said return-spring connected at its opposite ends with said drum and with a fixed part and adapted to be wound when said drum is rotated by said cord and to rotate said drum to rewind said cord when said cord is released. p

2. In a clock, the combination with a timetrain and a driving spring therefor, of a winding-member provided with pawl 'and ratchet means for connectingit with said driving spring to wind the same, said wind-- ing-member including a drum carrying a pull-cord whereby rotation may be imparted to it to wind said spring as said cord is un-` wound from said drum, said drum provided at one face with a recess housing a returnspring and at its other face with a recess to receive said pawl and ratchet means, said return-spring connected at its opposite ends with said drum and with a fixed part Vand adapted to be wound when said drumis rotated by said cord and to rotate said drum to rewind said cord'when said cord is released.

8. In a clock, the combinationfwith a timetrain and a driving-spring therefor, of a fixed bearing-stud, a winding-member rotataspecification.

JACOB F. LANGBEIN. 

